Snapshot (The Jamieson Collection)

by Angie Stanton

  “This is supposed to be vacation. Why must we be awake so flippin’ early?” Kayla groaned from across the room.

  “My mouth feels like something grew in it overnight,” Haley complained from bed.

  Marti gazed out the window at the placid lake. She smiled, remembering the sexy kisses from AJ. She touched her lips and bit back her grin. She couldn’t wait to see him again.

  “Anyone have a headache? I’ve got Ibuprofen.” Brooke, already showered and dressed in cute shorts and a snug fitting t-shirt, stood in front of the mirror and carefully applied mascara to her almond-shaped eyes.

  “Why are you up already?” Kayla’s words were muffled by the pillow over her head.

  “This,” Brooke waved her hand in front of her face and body, “doesn’t happen all by itself.”

  “Where’s my toothbrush? My mouth is disgusting.” Haley crawled out of bed and scratched her behind as she headed to the sink.

  “I told you to drink two glasses of water before you went to bed last night. It works every time.” Brooke inserted the wand back in her mascara and twisted it shut.

  Marti stretched and took mental inventory. Her mouth felt dry, but she didn’t have a headache despite drinking two of AJ’s concoctions. Ah, AJ. She snuggled under the covers and grinned, remembering the touch of his arms around her, so unexpected and exhilarating. Maybe Grandma was right, and he was a good one. Marti felt tipsy when they got back, but she followed Brooke’s advice and drank water and took ibuprofen before bed.

  A low eerie noise sounded.

  “What’s that?” Marti sat up in bed.

  “That’s a loon,” Kayla mumbled, the pillow still muffling her words.

  “No way! I’ve always wanted to see one.” Marti tossed off the covers and went to the window. “There it is!”

  “Where? I want to see!” Haley joined her, toothbrush in mouth.

  Marti scanned the surface of the water, but this time found nothing. “It’s gone. Did it fly away?”

  “No. They go underwater to fish. It’ll pop up somewhere else in a minute,” Kayla said.

  Marti and Haley peered out the window and waited.

  “That was so fun last night. And those guys! We struck gold on cabin location. They’re all cute, but Justin… hello!” Brooke still slaved away at the mirror. Marti didn’t understand her need to try so hard. She had the perfect package even without all the added bells and whistles of makeup and styled hair.

  “And how about the guy that Marti was talking to, AJ. He’s pretty easy on the eyes,” Kayla said.

  “Gee, I didn’t really notice,” Marti said. Oh, she’d definitely noticed and couldn’t wait to talk to him again.

  Kayla’s pillow flew through the air and hit her square in the head. “Marti, don’t make me come over there and hurt you. If you don’t want AJ, I’ll be glad to take him off your hands,” Kayla said.

  “I guess he’s okay.” Marti tossed it back. Kayla finally looked ready to roll out of bed.

  Haley finished brushing her teeth. “What’s up with all that stuff about your dad? Did you say he’s a musician?”

  Alcohol had loosened Marti’s big mouth last night. She usually didn’t mention her dad, but now that the story was out, she knew they’d have questions about that dark part of her life.

  “Making me drive him around is only one of many stupid things he’s done, and yes, he’s a musician.” She grabbed a washcloth and ran it under warm water.

  “What’s his name? Anyone we would’ve heard of?” Haley asked.

  “Steven Hunter.” She wiped the residual makeup from her face.

  “Seriously?” Brooke perched on the edge of the vanity. “The Steven Hunter from the band Graphite Angels?”

  “That’s the one.” Marti hung the washcloth on the towel bar and grabbed her toothbrush. People always had different reactions when they learned her dad’s identity. Some were star struck and some didn’t know or care who he was. Others were impressed and thought knowing Marti brought them closer to a celebrity. Except her dad wasn’t really a celebrity anymore. Unless he went on Celebrity Rehab. That would be appropriate.

  “He is so hot!” Brooke’s face lit up.

  Marti raised her eyebrows at her. Little did Brooke know that her skinny-as-a-rail, dad had aged beyond his years from all his hard living.

  “Brooke! That’s gross! You’re talking about her dad,” Haley said.

  “Sorry, my bad.” But Brooke didn’t look apologetic. Marti brushed her teeth.

  “That’s wild. Whenever a Graphite Angel song comes on the air, my mom always cranks up the radio. They are really awesome! From a classic rock point of view,” Kayla added for Marti’s benefit.

  “Well the group is nothing like they were. At least not the last time I saw them, and that was a long time ago.” She wiped her mouth with a towel.

  “So what’s he like? I mean, it must be cool to have a famous dad. It’s like crazy, right?” Brooke asked. “Did you go to movie premieres and stuff like that?”

  Marti moved to her dresser and pulled out a pair of shorts. “It’s crazy alright,” she said with lack of enthusiasm. “Let’s see. One year for my birthday there was this huge party with all my Dad’s friends and their kids. They brought in a big castle-shaped bouncy tent, a cotton candy machine, and a fountain that spouted fruit punch.” Marti remembered it like it was yesterday. She’d been so excited.

  “That’s so cool,” Brooke said, her face all dreamy.

  “It was. Until my dad and his buddies got wasted, and my dad peed in the punch fountain.” She pulled on her shorts then grabbed her hairbrush.

  “Oh.” Brooke’s smile faded.

  “Later, he threw up in the bouncy tent and passed out. Trust me, having a rock star for a dad sucks. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.” Marti tore the brush through her tangled hair and glanced out the window. Her grade school friends had been horrified by his behavior. She’d run from the party sobbing. The next day, when she stood up to her dad and told him what a terrible thing he did, she was ridiculed for crying like a baby at the party. That was the day Marti realized she could never trust him, and since then she learned to hide her emotions. “I haven’t seen him since I was ten years old, and that’s fine by me.”

  “Geez, I’m sorry. I had no idea,” Kayla said.

  “Don’t worry about it. I don’t.” Marti tossed the hairbrush on her bed. “That was a million years ago. And my Grandma is the most amazing person on the planet. As bad as my parents are, my Grandma is that many times as great! She’s the one who found this camp for me. She is always doing awesome things.”

  “I’m glad she did, because now you’re here, and we’re going to have a blast!” Haley said, and Marti smiled in return.

  “Hey, there’s the loon again!” Kayla pointed out the window.

  Sure enough, halfway across the lake, Marti spied the pointy black head and long low body floating serenely in the water. “I’m taking a picture of that!” She rushed to her cabinet, grabbed her camera and flew out the door.

  Marti stepped into the cool morning air, glad to end the discussion about her dad. Thoughts of him always dredged up painful memories of sadness and betrayal. When people found out about him, they became obsessed with talking about his greatness, as if he’d discovered a cure for cancer. No, he was the cancer.

  She crossed the sidewalk and moved past a couple large trees for a better view of the lake. Located up on a hill, Their cabin offered a panoramic view.

  Her sandals crunched on dry pine needles as she edged closer to the water, hoping to spy the elusive loon. She searched the lake as a click click sound interrupted the quiet morning.

  To her surprise, AJ sat further down the hill. A warm flush ran through her as she remembered their hot kisses. He peered intensely through the camera lens and adjusted his focus. A few more clicks and he lowered his camera to check out what he’d taken. Appearing satisfied, he looked up and smiled at Marti as if he’d been waiting fo
r her all morning instead of running into her accidentally.

  Marti cursed herself for not getting completely ready. She crossed her arms to hide her braless chest and hoped her lack of make up didn’t cause him to lose interest in her. She joined him and crouched down in the pine needles. He smelled fresh from his morning shower. Along with the dewy scent of the morning woods, she couldn’t imagine anything better.

  “Morning.” The sunlight sparkled off his eyes. “You see the loon?”

  “Yes, but only for a second.” She licked her lips. Did he remember their kiss? Or had he been too drunk to care?

  “Quick, check it out before it goes back under. It’s straight out.” AJ leaned his head close and pointed to where, sure enough, the large bird floated.

  “That is so cool,” Marti whispered, glad she’d taken time to brush her teeth. The loon let out a low eerie call. She grinned at AJ and raised her camera, focused and snapped a shot right as it dove under.

  “Aw!” She lowered the camera and looked at AJ. “No fair.”

  “Elusive isn’t it? I’ve been sitting here for fifteen minutes trying to get a good shot.” AJ’s friendly demeanor made her feel she’d known him forever, not less than a day.

  “Did you get one?”

  “I think so. Here, check these out.” He shared his camera with her, and they peeked together at the dozen or so pictures he’d taken.

  “Oh, I like that one!” Marti pointed to a shot where the loon’s whole body could be seen in a close up. “I think it was looking at you.” She peeked at AJ and laughed.

  “That’s because I was calling to it,” he said.

  “And how did you do that?” Marti listened to the low tones of his voice and watched his mouth move. Would he kiss her again?

  “First off, you have to know how to speak fowl.”

  “You swore at the bird?” She raised an eyebrow.

  “No!” He laughed. “I meant fowl, like the bird family, not foul as in language.”

  “I know. I was messing with you.” Marti watched for his reaction.

  AJ gave her a sly look and shook his head. “Nice one.”

  “So tell me about this fowl language of yours.” Marti held her camera at the ready in case the loon reappeared.

  AJ released his camera and let it hang from the neck strap. “You know that eerie call it made earlier this morning?”

  Marti nodded.

  “It starts low pitched and then goes high at the end.” He cupped his hands around his mouth and let out a soulful wail. AJ’s voice, pure as the crystal clear lake, gave her goose bumps. The sound reverberated across the water and echoed back. Marti watched in awe. His long fingers, cupped together, formed a megaphone effect. He opened his mouth and called out again like a mournful melody.

  AJ turned and grinned his adorable smile. She imagined his lips on hers.

  “Oh my god, that sounded amazing! Are you in choir?”

  “No. I’m just a loon caller,” he teased.

  “You should join.”

  The call of a loon, similar to Adam’s, echoed from across the lake.

  “Look at that! It’s back! It’s answering your call!” Marti lifted her camera and focused on the distant bird.

  Together, they watched the loon as it swam through the placid water and sang out an occasional call. Sometimes it was a low wail and other times, a trill. Every so often it dove under, and they’d guessed where it would pop up.

  The sound of the creaking cabin door interrupted. They turned and spotted the girls leaving her cabin, camera gear in tow. Despite her disappointment that her time alone with AJ was over, Marti waved them over. “Hey you guys, you should see this loon. It’s amazing!”

  “Hi,” AJ greeted the girls and smiled so adorably that Marti actually felt a pang of jealousy. She wished he would save that smile only for her.

  “That’s great, but breakfast is in like five minutes,” Brooke said.

  “Oh geez.” Marti stood up and realized she was still wearing the t-shirt she’d slept in and no bra. She covered her chest with one arm as her face warmed. Had AJ noticed? She brushed the dirt and pine needles off her butt with her other hand. “I’m not even ready.”

  “We’ll save you a seat,” Haley said.

  “Thanks. I’ll hurry.” The girls started off for the lodge.

  “Do you want me to wait?” AJ offered as the guys came out of his cabin.

  “No, that’s okay. But thanks for showing me the loon and everything.”

  “Anytime,” he said in his sexy, easy-going way, and Marti hoped that meant soon.

  * * *

  By the time Marti arrived at the lodge with all her gear, breakfast was well on its way.

  “Thanks for saving me a seat.” She hooked her camera strap over the back of the chair and squeezed in next to Kayla and Haley. Four girls she hadn’t seen before occupied the other side of the table. Marti smiled a greeting.

  “We saved you two pancakes and some bacon, but the eggs and sausage are gone.” Kayla passed the near empty platter to her.

  “Thanks.” Marti slid the food onto her plate. She glanced at the nearby tables, but didn’t see AJ or the guys.

  “Good morning, Campers.” Tony’s voice boomed out over the kids’ chatter and clinking dishes. “This afternoon, swim tests will run from one o’clock until three, so be sure to get down there. Lifeguard Brian will help you out. Also, there will be a volleyball tournament with games every afternoon, so be sure to support your team.”

  Marti scooted her chair back and shifted to the side for a better view of the tables in the back corner. She glanced around but still didn’t see AJ. She craned her neck and finally spotted his group. A bunch of girls she hadn’t noticed before sat with them. A cute girl with light red hair giggled and kept flipping her hair. AJ laughed and leaned closer, touching her arm.

  Marti’s heart sank. Great. He wasn’t interested in just her. He was interested in any girl. AJ looked up and their eyes connected. Marti whipped back around. He must think she was spying on him. Which she was. Would anyone notice if she crawled under the table and hid? Humiliation burned. How could she have misjudged him? Last night he’d been drunk, yeah, but this morning, she thought for sure that he liked her. At least a little.

  Determined not to look desperate, she refused to look back again. She focused on a salt shaker and ate her cold pancakes. She needed to stop acting so obvious. If he was interested, he’d have to make a move.

  * * *

  After breakfast, their heavy-set, balding photography instructor, Mike Sellers, reviewed the basics of Depth of Focus. He sent them on a hike to a railroad track on the other side of the lake for their first assignment.

  Kayla wanted to change from sandals to tennis shoes, so the girls were the last to leave, which really bugged her because she didn’t get a chance to see AJ and prove she wasn’t that into him. She wished he’d notice her more. Her emotions were a little all over the place and she didn’t really know why.

  After a thirty-minute hike on mostly level land, they reached the railroad tracks and found Mike and small clusters of kids setting up equipment and experimenting with different angles and light levels.

  Marti’s group walked on, because, face it, they couldn’t fight the magnetic pull of the guys next door. Not to mention the fact that Brooke insisted they find Justin before picking a spot. She was hot on his trail like a dog sniffing out a rabbit. Marti was pretty sure Brooke would bag the guy soon.

  Another hundred yards around a bend, they found the guys. Ryan’s equipment was set up and ready to go. Justin and Kyle relaxed on an outcropping of rock. Marti didn’t spot AJ at first, but then saw him further down, adjusting his tripod. As soon as he spotted her, he stood up and waved.

  Her heart beat a little faster. She waved back and instantly wished she’d acted less eager. In an effort to act nonchalant, she ignored him and chatted with the others. She could see Justin and Kyle weren’t too invested in photography. Brooke was ri
ght; with Justin’s good looks, he belonged in front of the camera, not behind it. Ryan obviously loved photography as he concentrated on his assignment and not the conversation.

  “I’m going to go check out what AJ’s doing.” Marti didn’t care if the other kids weren’t interested in the assignment. She was, and it looked like AJ felt the same way. Plus, talking about the assignment was a great excuse to go talk to him.

  “Mind if I join you?” Haley asked.

  Marti fought the urge to tell Haley no, since she knew she’d sound like a jerk or desperate for a guy. “Not at all. Come on.”

  They caught up to AJ, who had picked an ideal location.

  “Nice spot.” Marti lowered her backpack carefully to the bed of gravel. A half-mile down, the train tracks disappeared into a dark stone tunnel.

  “Thanks. I thought it would work out pretty nice.” His eyes followed her.

  “Mind if we join you? Or is this a restricted area?” Haley asked.

  “My tunnel is your tunnel.” He grinned and Marti wished she could gaze at his smile all day.

  Marti admired the spot he’d picked for taking pictures and how the distance created an illusion of the tracks growing narrower and narrower until they faded into the mysterious passageway.

  “Think any trains will come out of that tunnel while we’re here?” she asked. In her mind, she screamed the real question she wanted to ask: “Did you kiss me because you wanted to or because you were drinking?” Maybe it was a good thing Haley was here.

  “If one does, I hope I get a picture before it runs me over.”

  “Now that would be a great live action shot,” Haley said.

  Marti went to work unpacking her gear. She took her camera from its case and secured it safely to the tripod.

  They took turns capturing shots of the tracks and the tunnel from various heights and shutter speeds. The warm sun promised a spectacular day ahead.

  Marti perched on a large boulder with a bottle of water. “Did you hear that cello last night?”

  “That was so great.” Haley futzed with her camera settings.